Method of making coal briquettes of anthracitic quality from immature carboniferous substances



' Aug. 24, 1926.

v J. BEAUDEQUIN METHOD OF MAKING COAL BRIQUETTES OF ANTHRACITIC QUALITY FROM- IMMATURE CARBONIFEROUS SUBSTANCES Filed June Patented Aug. 24, 1 926." f

UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE.

JACQUES BEAUDEQUIN, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

mn'rnon or MAKING COAL BBIQUETTES on ANTHRACITIC QUALITY mom mmarunn cannomnnnons SUBSTANCES.

Application filed June 6, 1923, Serial No, 643,757, and in France June 7, 1922.

This invention relates to an improved process of transforming into coal briquettes of anthracitic quality from vegetable substances such as lignite, brown coal, turf 6 or peat, or mixture containing such substances.

In my companion application No. 752,976 a. process is described for briquetting bituminous coal and producing anthracite briquettes. The steps of this process include forming the briquettes from the comminuted bituminous matter, forcing them successively into and through a tube in a column which tightly fits the bore of the tube, heating the briquettes in a forward part of the tube while under pressure to a sufiiciently high temperature to cause fiuescence of the hydrocarbons contained therein, and cooling the briquettes while still under pressure in the tube. v sential change taking place in the transformation of the bituminous matter into anthracite briquettes, in the practice of this process, is the fusing of the hydrocarbons under pressure so that the same are not lost but instead, ermeate the molar interstices in the car onaceous matter of the briquette densifying the .briq'uette, as well as constituting an autogenous binder for the particles thereof, and thus giving to the briquette the characteristic anthracitic qualities that make it desirable as a fuel.

In its specific employment, the process of said companion application includes the interposition of metallic plates between the briquettes as they ass from the press to the heating tube, sald plates acting as heatdifl'using means for subjecting the briqtlllettes to a uniform temperature even to t eir innermost parts, thereby rendering them of homogeneous consistency, said plates in a later stage of the process, after the heating of the briquettes has been discontinned, serving as cooling means for condensing within the briquettes any of the hydrocarbons that may have becomevolatilized..

In attempting to apply this process to the more immature carboniferous substances such as lignite, turf, peat etc., it was found that the presence, to an excessive degree, of water or volatile hydrocarbons resulted in a artial failure of the process because the time had to be made larger than the briquettes in order to provide for the escape The esof the gaseous hydrocarbons, or if made to fit the briquettes compressively, the tube had to be freely perforated. When the tube.

was made too large, the fusing of the hydrocarbon did not take place under pressure and therefore the fiuescent hydrocarbons failed properly to permeate the interstiees-of the briquette. Also, whether the tube were made too large or whether it were perforated, the desirable escaped in large quantity, the result being the turning out of inferior briquettes which were porous, or not properly bonded, or lacking in the combustible richness of the briquettes made from bituminous coal.

In order to obviate the insufliciency of the process of said companion application when applied to the immature c'arboniferous materials, the stepsof drying and predistillation of the raw'rnaterlals have been added,

being so interlinked with the steps ofythe former process in their correlative eflect, as to'constitute with the steps of the aforementioned process, an entirely new and distinct process.

While the method for carrying out my new process may be considered apart from any particular apparatus, yet it may be useful to the understanding of the process to refer to the sole figure of the drawingin which the parts marked 9', it, an. and (1 concern themselves with the drying and predistillation steps, 7' being a blower by means of which the comminuted immature carboniferous substance is brought to' the conveyer m where it is elevated into driers, not shown but situated above the furnace d. There are preferably two drierssuitably maintained at differential temperatures, one at a temperature suflicient to evaporate water only and the other at a temperature high enough to volatilize hydrocarbons. The residue of the drying and predistillation stages is then fed to the press a in the manner described in connection with the bituminous treatment of coal in my hereinbefore mentioned companion application and is then forced into the forward part of the tube 1) where it is heated by means of the oven 0, the latter communicating with thefurnace d. The effect of heating the briquettes while under pressure is to render hydrocarbons fluescent and perhaps to volatilize some of p the remaining hydrocarbons, but since these are unable to escape they permeate the in the fluescent state, thus preventing the briquettes from sticking together, but the plates also perform the important function of heat transmitting elements conveyin the heat to the'innermost parts'of the huuettes so that the action of the heat upon t e hydrocarbons is uniform throughout the.

entire temperature of the briquette. In the last stage of the process, when the briquettes have been successively forced in the portion b of the tube which is not heated,

the lates serve another function in unifo y disssipatihg the heat from the briquettes preventing the warping and cracking of. the same due to unequal cooling The briquettes are under pressure in the part b of the tube while being cooled so that such of the hydrocarbons asmay have become volatilized in the heating stage are cooled in the briquettes without being permitted to escape.

What I desire to claim as new is 1. The process for makin briquettes of my hand. anthracitic quality from car niferous maf terial of less maturity than bituminous coal whichconsists in, subjecting the raw material to predistillation to drive '03 water and the more volatile hydrocarbons, formin briquettes of the residue of the distillatlon step, forcin them successively 3 into and through a tu in a column which tightly fits the bore of the tube, heating the bri uettes in the forward part of the tube whi e under pressure to a sufficient tem erature to cause fluescence of the remaining hydrocarbons therein contained, and coolg. the briquettes while still under pressure in the tube.

2. The process of making briquettes of anthracitic quality from carbo'niferous material of less maturity than bituminous coal which consists in, subjecting the raw material to predistillation to drive off water and the more volatile hydrocarbons, forming briquettes of the residue of the distillation step, arranging heat conductive separators in alternation with the briquettes,

forcing the briquettes successively into and a through a tube in a :column whlch tightly fits the bore of the tube, heating the 'br1-' quettes in the forward part of the .tube while under pressure, to a suflicient temper ature to cause fluescence of the hydrocarbons therein contained, and 'rogressively cooling the briquettes while still surein the rearward part of said tube.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set under pres:

JACQUES BEAUDEQUIN. 

